Only a Day (Trip) Away

Tomorrow

Tomorrow

I love ya,’ tomorrow

You’re only a day away.

— Annie

One of the themes of Annie’s life is that she’s hopeful for a better tomorrow…and tomorrow is only a day away. We can make it through a whole lot of “stuff” when we stay hopeful for tomorrow. When it’s Thursday, Friday is just around the corner, and when it’s midnight, morning is on the way. There’s always hope for a bright and glorious tomorrow!

Speaking of a day away, how about planning a little road trip? The rain has gone for now here in Austin, and the sun is shining bright. The last of summer is upon us, which makes now the perfect time for a day trip to Pedernales Falls State Park. From pretty much anywhere in Austin, it’s a short 57 minute drive. If you’re a history buff, you’ll enjoy reading more about this area here.

Here are my top three suggestions to make your day trip a big success.

1. Tunes

There’s nothing worse than a road trip without good music. So, get you some good music for the road. (Bee Gees, anyone?) If your car isn’t equipped for bluetooth, get one of these cords. It plugs into your phone on one end, and the other end plugs into your console. Push the auxiliary button, set your phone to play your iTunes playlist or your favorite Pandora station, and you’re good to go. Hardly anything sets a mood like music! Windows down or sunroof open, whatever you like, play it loud and enjoy the morning air blowing through your hair (or your ears).

If this is an adults-only road trip and you can stand a little edgy humor, there’s plenty of time on this trip for a few episodes of Roy D. Mercer. (He’s a favorite of a certain unnamed family we know.)

2. Treats

Is there anything better than a road trip picnic? No, I tell you, no, there is not. No one in my family has ever seen me pack a picnic lunch. Why? Because they’re not up at 5:00 a.m! Also, half the thrill of a good picnic is being the one who pulls stuff out of the basket, item by suspenseful item, like a magician pulling rabbits out of his overturned black hat. “Oh! Brownies??” (kids, teenagers, grown kids and grandkids yelling from the back seat) “Fried chicken??????” (husband fantasizing behind the wheel)

Austinites know where to pick-up the perfect pic-nic. Two words – Whole Foods. With a tiny bit of advanced planning, you can order a road trip lunch, including everything from fried chicken to marinated feta skewers. Throw in a batch of your most famous church-cookbook brownies, and you’re the mom-bomb.

If something a little simpler is your idea of a great picnic, head over to Lee’s Meat Market, where boxed lunches are the name of their game. Nobody will miss the fried chicken when they bite into a thick-sliced-bacon-filled BLT from Lee’s.

There are two things we really miss about Amarillo when we start thinking “road trip.” Texas Tea and Water Still. I wish Austin had something like these two quick stops where you can run in and mix and match your favorite iced teas – or create the perfect Arnold Palmer with fractions of lemonade and tea that meet your own personal criteria. A really good second choice (besides the truly delicious tap water straight out of every Austin faucet) is a cooler full of Maine Root sodas. Fountain versions are in many local restaurants, but you can also buy them by the bottle at Whole Foods or Central Market.

3. Time

Plan for a full day for your Pedernales Falls State Park road trip. You may not spend the whole day, but you don’t want to get there and wish you had more time. It’s beautiful. It’s relaxing. It’s a place where you can park yourself on a rock, listen to the falls and watch retrieving dogs enjoy the chase – or you can hike the trails to your heart’s content.

So, when someone who resembles Ms. Hannigan has been making life a little miserable, and Daddy Warbucks is nowhere to be found, there’s nothing like a little time spent outdoors to renew our hope for a better tomorrow! And then again, the One who holds our tomorrows has created all this for us to enjoy today.

Today

Today

I love ya,’ today

You’re one of God’s gifts to me.

Hi, there! My name is Brenda McDearmon, and I love to encourage people! I created this blog to help overfiftyers look beyond the transitions into a future of everyday adventure so they can focus on themselves a little, and on every other good thing in life a lot. I'm so glad you're here!